CORE OSH

PRINCIPLES, RIGHT
AND DUTIES

MITZI JOY T. BENTIC

MEM 610
Core OSH
principles
“
All workers have rights. Workers, as well as
employers and governments, must ensure
that these rights are protected and must
strive to establish and maintain decent
working conditions and a decent working
environment.
“
— Work should take place in a safe and
healthy working environment;

— Conditions of work should be consistent

with workers’ well-being and human dignity;

— Work should offer real possibilities for personal

achievement, self-fulfillment, and service to society (ILO, 1984).
Fundamental
principles of
occupational health
and safety
Fundamental principles of occupational health and safety

• A national system for occupational • A national programme on

safety and health must be occupational safety and health must
established. Such a system must be formulated. Once formulated, it
include all the mechanisms and must be implemented, monitored,
elements necessary to build and evaluated and periodically reviewed.
maintain a preventive safety and
health culture. The national system
must be maintained, progressively
developed and periodically reviewed.
Fundamental principles of occupational health and safety

• Social partners (that is, employers and
workers) and other stakeholders must
be consulted. This should be done
during formulation, implementation
and review of all policies, systems and
programmes.
• Occupational safety and health
programmes and policies must aim at
both prevention and protection.
Efforts must be focused above all on
primary prevention at the workplace
level. Workplaces and working
environments should be planned and
designed to be safe and healthy.
Fundamental principles of occupational health and safety

• Continuous improvement of • Information is vital for the

occupational safety and health must
be promoted.
development and implementation of
effective programmes and policies.
The collection and dissemination of
accurate information on hazards and
hazardous materials, surveillance of
workplaces, monitoring of compliance
with policies and good practice, and
other related activities are central to
the establishment and enforcement
of effective policies.
Fundamental principles of occupational health and safety

• Health promotion is a central element • Occupational health services covering

of occupational health all workers should be established.
practice. Efforts must be made to Ideally, all workers in all categories of
enhance workers’ physical, mental economic activity should have access
and social well-being. to such services, which aim to protect
and promote workers’ health and
improve working conditions.
Fundamental principles of occupational health and safety

• Compensation, rehabilitation, and curative services must be made

available to workers who suffer occupational injuries, accidents and
work-related diseases. Action must be taken to minimize the
consequences of occupational hazards.
Key principles of
occupational safety
and health
Key principles of occupational safety and health

• Education and training are vital components of safe, healthy working

environments. Workers and employers must be made aware of the
importance of establishing safe working procedures and of how to do so.
Trainers must be trained in areas of special relevance to particular
industries so that they can address the specific occupational safety and
health concerns.
• Workers, employers and competent authorities have certain
responsibilities, duties, and obligations. For example, workers must follow
established safety procedures; employers must provide safe workplaces
and ensure access to first aid; and the competent authorities must devise,
communicate and periodically review and update occupational safety and
health policies.
Key principles of occupational safety and health

• Policies must be enforced. A system of inspection must be in

place to secure compliance with occupational safety and health
measures and other labour legislation. Clearly, some overlap
exists among these general principles. For example, the
gathering and dissemination of information on various facets of
Occupational safety and health underlie all the activities
described. Information is needed for the prevention as well as
the treatment of occupational injuries and diseases. It is also
needed for the creation of effective policies and to ensure that
they are enforced. Education and training demand information.
“ Rights and duties
The responsibilities of governments, employers and
workers should be seen as complementary and
mutually reinforcing in the common task of promoting
occupational safety and health to the greatest extent
possible within the constraints of national conditions
and practice.
“ Workers’ Rights
It is increasingly recognized that the protection of life
and health at work is a fundamental workers’ right; in
other words, decent work implies safe work.
Furthermore, workers have a duty to take care of their
own safety,
“
Employers’ responsibilities
it is the responsibility of employers to ensure that the
working environment is safe and healthy.

This means that they must prevent, and protect

workers from, occupational risks. But employers’
responsibility goes further, entailing knowledge of
occupational hazards and a commitment to ensure that
management processes promote safety and health at
work. For example, an awareness of safety and health
implications should guide decisions on the choice of
technology and on how work is organized.
“ Governments’ duties
Governments are responsible for drawing up occupational safety and
health policies and making sure that they are implemented. Policies will
be reflected in legislation, and legislation must be enforced. But
legislation cannot cover all workplace risks, and it may also be advisable
to address occupational safety and health issues by means of collective
agreements reached between the social partners. Policies are more likely
to be supported and implemented if employers and workers, through
their respective organizations, have had a hand in drawing them up. This
is regardless of whether they are in the form of laws, regulations, codes or
collective agreements.
Thank you for Listening!

Engr. Mitzi Joy T. Bentic

MEM - 006